October 1st – 13th, 2013

The 2013 Great Island Grown Festival is in the works. Join us for a variety of events on Lopez, Orcas and San Juan Islands. We’ll keep you updated here on news and information as it happen so check back often.

Oct 3th Lopez: Evening Meals at School, 5:30-7pm (Lopez Locavores)

Enjoy a satisfying meal using as much locally-grown food as possible to appreciate the bounty of this season, in this place, and to appreciate and connect with the farmers who have produced it for us. (By donation; Multipurpose Room, Lopez Island Schools, 86 School Road; lopezlocavores.org.)

Come learn from the experts! Three workshops each will be held on Sustainable Horticultural Practices (Community Garden) and Value Added Production (Stage at the Village Green). Sessions at 10-11:30am, 1-2:30pm, and 3-4:30pm. Hosted by Food Masters and FEAST. $15 per session or $45 for the day. Contact Learner Limbach at foodmasters.orcas@gmail.com or call 360-376-4048.

The Friday Harbor Fall Farm Parade is the genuine deal. Everybody gets in the act: from island children with their favorite backyard chickens, to long-time island farm families with island-scale tractors and harvesters parading through Friday Harbor’s main streets to celebrate the resurgence of smalls farms and local food in the San Juans. Free; start at SJC Fairgrounds on Argyle Avenue, end at Brickworks, 150 Nichols Street, Friday Harbor.

Brickworks heats up as six of Friday Harbor’s finest chefs go head to head to create their best chili from local foods. Come taste their delicious dishes and cast your vote for the 2013 Brickworks Chili Cook-Off King or Queen! The Brickworks beer and wine garden will be open for business, and music will be provided by talented young local musicians. ($15 adult; $8 child 12 years or under; Brickworks, 150 Nichols Street, Friday Harbor; http://sjiagguild.com/)

Join Chef Christina Orchid of Red Rabbit Farm for a full day of culinary events centered on pigs and pork and the Farm Olympics. Classes in butchering (10am), roasting (12:30pm) and preserving (2:30pm) pork will culminate in a mouth-watering pig roast at 4:30pm! Participate in Farm Olympics (hay bale lifting; pail carrying…) throughout the day. All proceeds to benefit the Orcas School Farm to Cafeteria Program! Dinner $65 per person. Reservations required; contact Christina Orchid 376-3208 or at redrabbitfarm@rockisland.com

Tune up that bike and join San Juan Preservation Trust and the San Juan County Land Bank for a cycling tour of over 1,100 acres of protected agricultural lands in the heart of San Juan Valley. We’ll have an easy cycle through the valley and visit several farms, where you will learn their history and recent efforts to conserve them for both current and future agricultural purposes. We’ll sample local products on stops along the way before ending the tour at San Juan Preservation Trust’s Red Mill Farm, in the heart of the valley. Meet at the Skagit Valley College at 11am in the lower parking area and we will depart from there by bicycle. Max participants on the bike tour is 20 for safety reasons. All other guests are welcome to join the riders at Red Mill Farm at 1pm for a feast of locally-grown food and music and to wrap up the outing. Riders will be escorted back to Skagit Valley College by 3pm. Cycling tour and lunch $20/person; lunch at Red Mill Farm only $15/person. Please make reservations directly with our Outreach & Membership Manager Bella French at (360) 378-2461 or bella@sjpt.org

Oct. 11th San Juan: Tour the Fields, Taste the Feast

Apples, Cheese, Cider & Wine Oh My! Pick apples and tour Westcott Bay Cider from 10am-1pm, tour San Juan Vineyards from 1:30-3:30pm, sample local and regional cheeses at San Juan Cheese from 4-6pm, & then have it all at Coho Restaurant, 5-9pm. Picking, tours, and demonstrations free; reservations required for dinner at Coho http://www.cohorestaurant.com/reservations/ .

Oct 11th & 12th Lopez: Lopez Island Home Grown Watercolor Weekend

Join Tom Hoffmann for a weekend watercolor workshop coinciding with The Great Island Grown Festival on Lopez Island. Spend two days painting the fields, harvest foods, barns and animals, both land and sea, and celebrate the harvest season at Vita’s Wildly Delicious with a specially prepared wine tasting dinner using bounty from the island farms and sea. A chance to paint and savor the lovely farms and fine foods of Lopez Island. 9:30am to 4pm each day; dinner Saturday 10/12. Reservations required. Cost: $325 for the painting workshop and dinner & wine at Vita’s. Contact tomhoffmannwatercolors@gmail.com to register.

Come learn from the experts! Three workshops each will be held on Animal Husbandry (Community Garden) and Homesteading Skills (Stage at the Village Green). Sessions at 10-11:30am, 1-2:30pm, and 3-4:30pm. Hosted by Food Masters and FEAST. $15 per session or $45 for the day. Contact Learner Limbach at foodmasters.orcas@gmail.com or call 360-376-4048.

Using local meats, seafood, and produce, Chef Madden Surbaugh will create a five course culinary adventure highlighting our local fall bounty along with masterful pairings to local craft beer, wine and spirits. Local Purveyors include: San Juan Vineyards, San Juan Distillery, Westcott Bay Cider, Island Hoppin’ Brewery (currently brewing a special beer just for this dinner), Maple Rock Farm, Jones Family Farm, Coffelt Farm, Buck Bay Shellfish Farm, and more…. This is a unique culinary experience that combines many of our local food and beverage treasures. $100 each. Limited seating. Reserve your place by calling (360) 376-2200.

Oct 13th Lopez: Farm History Walk, 3pm (Jones Family Farms)

A short history of agriculture in San Juan County, at the historic Cousins Farm, Hunter Bay Road, Lopez Island. (Free; please contact www.jffarms.com or email barlowbay@yahoo.com)

Oct 13th Lopez: Farms to Feast: Jones Family Farms Tour & Dinner

An engaging and savory Farm to Table experience—see the productions, taste the results! Join Jones Family Farms for a tour of their multifaceted operations and then a delicious dinner prepared by chef Derrek Bugge from Frank’s Oyster House & Champagne Bar in Seattle from their local products (shellfish, pork…). ($80 per person for a five course meal, reservations required; Jones Family Farms, 1934 Mud Bay Road, Lopez; call 468-0533 or email barlowbay@yahoo.com)

San Juan Islands Events

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Which restaurants serve locally farmed seafood and land food? Who has hay, straw, grain or compost? Need to sell some eggs quick? Looking for fresh cut flowers for an upcoming event? Do you grow and harvest fresh cut flowers? Who sells honey? Are you a caterer wanting to become closer connected with local producers? Are you a producer wanting to increase sales?Visit the Farmer-Fisher-Chef Connection!